GREAT ENGLISH CAPTAIN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20261, 9 November 1935, Page 16

GREAT ENGLISH CAPTAIN

PELHAM “PLUM” WARNER Took to the Game Early Mr P. F. Warner, who is chairman of England’s test cricket selectors in succession to Sir Stanley Jackson, was bom in the Lsland of Trinidad, where his father was at one time AttorneyGeneral. Mr Warner’s first experiences of the game were learned before the bowling of a black boy, who rejoiced in the name of Kellebree, meaning “humming bird." Lord Harris was also bom in Trinidad, and it is not a little curious that two men who were later to have the honour of captaining England at cricket should have first seen the light of day in this small outpost of the Empire. When “Plum” Warner’s two brothers returned from Oxford in 1882 they took a great interest in their younger brother’s cricket, and seemed to realise that he was to become a famous batsman for they bowled to him for hours. ft was from his brothers that he first learnt of the prowess of the Australians, whom he was to meet on many a hard-fought field in the years to come. When a lad of fifteen Warner was sent to Rugby, and it was at this famous school that he first came into actual touch with an Australian team. This was the year when Turner and Ferris, two famous Australian bowlers, went through the land bowling down the wickets of England’s most famous batsmen, and he watched their progress with a great deal of interest, not to mention excitement. It was also about this time that he first earned the nickname of “Plum,” which is really a schoolboy contraction of Pelham. His first serious cricket occurred the year after he came to Rugby, when he became a member of the school’s first eleven, which position he retained for four years, finishing up in 1892 as captain. He then represented Cambridge in 1895 and 1896, but had already played for Middlesex the year previously, and in 1908 he became captain of the county side, remaining in that position for twelve years. Mr Warner is known and appreciated by New Zealand cricketers, having visited this Dominion as captain of Lord Hawke’s team in 1902-03. He first visited Australia as captain of the English team; in 1903 and was there again in 1911, his team winning the rubber on both occasions. He played for England against Australia and South Africa in 1905, and remained prominent in international cricket until 1920, when he retired after having made more than 29,000 runs in first-class cricket, with an average of 36. scoring 61 centuries. In the opinion of Warner the strongest side that has ever represented England was the eleven which played at Birmingham in 1902. They were:— A, C Maclaren (capt.), C. B. Fry, K. S Ranjitsinhji, F. S. Jackson, G. L. Jessop, Lilley, J. T. Tyldesley, Rhodes, Hirst. Braund and Lockwood. In that year only 16 men were selected in the five tests. The other five were: L. C. H. Palairet, Hayward, Abel, Barnes, and F. W Tate.

Those were the palmy days of English cricket. How different to-day, when out of a series of 12 test matches played in 1934 and 1935 against Australia, West Indies and South Africa, England has won only two!